Government to Train 200,000 AI Professionals... Accelerating the Youth Employment Recovery Plan

Joint Inter-Ministerial Job Task Force Meeting
"Discovering 200,000 Quality Jobs in the Private and Public Sectors"

The government will announce a "Youth Employment Recovery Plan" during the third quarter of this year and pursue initiatives to cultivate skilled professionals in advanced industries and increase the number of quality jobs. The goal is to nurture over 200,000 specialists in advanced sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors, while also creating more than 200,000 quality jobs in both the private and public sectors. The government also plans to introduce tailored measures to support employment in industries experiencing sluggish job growth, such as manufacturing and construction.

The Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 16th that a joint inter-ministerial Job Task Force (TF) meeting was held at the Government Seoul Office to review June’s employment trends and tasks for the youth employment recovery initiative. The meeting was jointly chaired by Hyungil Lee, First Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance, and Changjun Kwon, Vice Minister of Labor, and participating ministries focused on policy tasks to sustain the recent increase in employment.

Lee Hyung-il, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Finance and Economy, is delivering the opening remarks at the "July Job Task Force (TF)" held at the Government Seoul Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 16th. Ministry of Finance and Economy

During the meeting, the government noted that rising external uncertainties—such as heightened tensions in the Middle East—could once again act as downward pressures on the employment market and thus resolved to mobilize all efforts centered around the Job Task Force. The highest priority is to restore youth employment by preparing the "Youth Employment Recovery Plan" as soon as possible. This plan will include the goal of cultivating more than 200,000 specialists in advanced industries—such as three major mega-projects (semiconductors, data centers, and physical AI)—and sectors preferred by young people by 2030.

The plan will also feature detailed policy measures aimed at discovering more than 200,000 quality jobs in the private and public sectors and strengthening incentives at every stage of labor market participation, from job searching and recruitment to onboarding and career development. The government intends to finalize and announce these measures within the third quarter after consultation among relevant ministries.

There will also be increased efforts to address prolonged employment slumps in sectors such as manufacturing and construction. The government will closely analyze employment trends and causes of stagnation by sector and will mobilize all available policy tools to develop tailored responses. Through future Job Task Force meetings and economic ministerial conferences, the government plans to sequentially discuss and announce sector-specific measures, with the aim of expanding the employment recovery trend.

According to the employment trends announced in June, the number of employed persons last month was 29,154,000—an increase of 63,000 from the same month last year, marking a return to growth in just one month. However, the youth employment rate dropped by 1.7 percentage points year-on-year, and employment weaknesses in manufacturing and construction continue, underscoring persistent challenges in vulnerable sectors. To ensure that the recent growth in employment is not merely a temporary rebound, the government plans to focus its employment recovery policies on young people as well as the manufacturing and construction sectors, thereby establishing a stable foundation for sustainable job creation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.